Hainan To Be Test Area for Open Skies Policy
China's Hainan province is set to become a test zone
for China's "open skies" policy, and will be
opened up to international tourism. If the plan is approved
by the central government, it will go into effect immediately.
Under a new proposal, Hainan will be designated as a
special tourism zone. Foreign airlines will have free
access to the airports of Haikou and Sanya, with unlimited
rights to fly people and cargo in and out to foreign destinations.
The Chinese government will expand visa-free travel to
the island from the current 21 countries. Citizens from
any country will eventually be able to apply for visas
on arrival.
The central government is looking favorably on the proposal,
which will first be rolled out in the island province.
If it proves to be a success, then it will be expanded
to other major cities including Shanghai and Beijing.
While Hainan is popular with China's domestic travelers
as a tourist destination, it is comparatively unknown
for international travelers because of a lack of international
flight routes. According to Chinese government figures,
12 million people visited Hainan in 2002. Of this number,
only 389,000 were international tourists. By comparison,
2.7 million international tourists visited Phuket in Thailand
and 1.3 million visited Bali, Indonesia in 2001. Hainan's
climate is similar to Phuket's and Bali's.
Foreign carriers will not be allowed to land in Hainan
and pick up passengers for other Chinese destinations.
Foreign travelers who want to visit the Chinese mainland
will be required to first obtain Chinese visas before
traveling.
Hainan island is situated south of Guangdong province,
and borders Vietnam and the Gulf of Tonkin to the west.
Until 1989, it was administered as a part of Guangdong
province, at which time it became a province.
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